When I first started selling cookies, I thought the only way to book out orders was to hustle like crazy—posting constantly on social media, sending emails, stressing over every launch. I felt like I was always scrambling, always trying to fill the calendar, and it was exhausting.
Today, I want to share the strategy that changed everything for me. It’s simple, repeatable, and takes the pressure off. It helped me fill up custom orders before I spent money on ads or even made a single social post—and I’m still using it years later.
The Shift That Changed My Business
This whole thing started by accident. I was prepping back-to-school cookies one summer and realized I had a long gap between that and my next big holiday—Halloween. I didn’t know what I was going to offer for Halloween yet, but I did know my regular customers always came back for holiday cookies.
So I sent them an email.
Just a short one. I gave my past customers early access to reserve Halloween cookies—before I announced it anywhere else. I even gave them a small discount as a thank-you for being repeat buyers.
And guess what?
They booked. Fast.
That one email helped me fill my calendar without the hustle—and it planted the seed for something even more powerful: training my customers to expect these early pre-orders again and again.
Train Your Customers to Expect Pre-Sales
Think about this: you don’t walk into Hobby Lobby in July and expect not to see Christmas. Right?
Your customers can be trained the same way.
Start giving early access to past customers—your VIPs—and they’ll come to expect and look forward to your holiday offers. Whether it’s Halloween minis, personalized teacher cookies, or Christmas sets, they’ll be watching for that early-bird email.
When they know what to expect, they’re more likely to plan ahead—and that helps YOU plan ahead too.
Here’s How to Make It Work
You don’t need a fancy setup to start. Just:
- Choose a seasonal offer — Back to school, Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day… start with what’s coming up.
- Pick your best-sellers — Look back at what sold well last year. You don’t need to have the exact designs ready. Just a general idea: minis, personalized singles, etc.
- Email your past customers — Let them know they get early access. Give them a deadline to order and a small thank-you offer if you want.
- Build anticipation — Let your audience know that email subscribers always get first dibs. You’ll start to see that early-bird list grow every season.
Start Your VIP List Now
If you haven’t already, start building your VIP list. This can be as simple as collecting emails through a waitlist form or opt-in on your site. These are your ride-or-die customers—the ones who already know and love your cookies—and they’ll be the first to support you again and again.
Giving them early access makes them feel seen, appreciated, and excited to order. And it takes a huge weight off your shoulders too—no more waiting and wondering if people will buy.
Want to turn repeat customers into a full-time income?
Grab the How to Make a Full-Time Income with Your Cookies: 10 Steps guide!
This guide walks you through the exact steps to grow a sustainable, profitable cookie business—without burning out or guessing what to do next.
It’s time to stop hustling and start building something that works for you.
Still need help in your cookie business? Find more tips here!